1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a personal hygiene apparatus and more particularly to a bidet apparatus that may be fitted to or made a part of a conventional bathroom toilet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bidets have long been used in Europe as a device for cleaning a person's posterior or genital areas by flushing them with a spray of water. Such bidets are typically unitary structures having only one purpose and they are provided in bathrooms in addition to a conventional toilet. Bidets have found application in the United States primarily only in some hospitals and some luxury hotels. However, bidets have not become commonplace in the typical United States home.
The benefits to be derived by people, including both males and females, by the use of a bidet are manifold. Immediate recognition of benefits will be appreciated by persons suffering from painful hemorhoids, constipation, or diarrhea, and by post-surgery patients, post-childbirth patients and nursing home patients. Additionally, people without any of the foregoing conditions or disabilities can enjoy the benefits of increased cleanliness and improved hygiene by daily use of a bidet.
The primary obstacle in the way of the use of bidets becoming commonplace in the U.S. is the expense involved in the installation of a separate bidet in a bathroom. The bidet itself is expensive and, more importantly, bathrooms tend to be small and there is usually insufficient space in which to install a separate bidet.
There have been proposals for incorporating a bidet fixture in a preexisting toilet. Such apparatus typically include a spray pipe that is movable from a retracted, out of the way, position to an in-use position, and a valve for controlling the flow of water to the spray pipe. Examples of such devices are disclosed in the following patents:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ Boring, Jr. 4,642,820 Miyanaga 4,334,329 Ruiz 4,181,985 Sundberg 2,852,782 Guidetti 1,966,951 Guidetti, et al. 1,872,278 Callejo 1,855,008 Campus 1,663,111 Friedman 1,091,499 ______________________________________